1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to apparatus for printing pressure sensitive labels and attaching the printed labels to articles.
2. Description of the Related Art
A preliminary patentability search conducted in class 156, subclasses 540, 542, 568 and 570 discloses the following patents which may be relevant to the present invention:
French et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,729,362, issued Apr. 24, 1973, discloses a labeling machine including a supply reel and a take up reel. Labels are adhesively secured to a backing strip and the backing strip is wound on the supply reel. The backing strip and labels are moved from the supply reel toward the take up reel and the labels are peeled off of the backing strip and momentarily retained at a first station. An applicator transfers the label to an adjacent article.
Woods, U.S. Pat. No. 3,769,139, issued Oct. 30, 1973, discloses a labeler in which labels, coated with pressure sensitive adhesive and carried by a web of release paper having formed therein feed sprocket holes, are drawn along a predetermined path through a print station and about a sharp reverse bend by a feed drum having disposed about the periphery thereof drive pins spaced to correspond to the spacing of the feed sprocket holes in the web of release paper. The feed drum is in turn driven by a solenoid actuated ratchet feed and may be readily replaced by other feed drums having drive pins spaced to correspond with the feed holes on webs of other sizes of labels. As the release paper is drawn about the sharp reverse bend, the label projects outwardly and a hammer, solenoid actuated in timed relationship with the label feed, is driven against the label to slap the label against an article.
Del Rosso, U.S. Pat. No. 4,025,382, issued May 24, 1977, discloses an apparatus for applying a label to an article while the article is being transported along a path of travel by a conveyor. The apparatus includes a vertically movable applicator foot operable to pick up a label from a source and apply such label to the surface of an article, and a vertically movable compressor foot operable to engage the applied label to cause it to conform to the contour of the article surface. The applicator foot and compressor foot are independently supported for conjunctive movements with the article in the direction of conveyor travel, while operably engaged therewith.
Crankshaw et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,725, issued May 16, 1978, discloses an apparatus for transferring labels to articles which are moved in a first direction through a station. The apparatus includes means for releasably retaining first and second labels at first and second positions with the positions defining a row at the station, the axis of the row extending generally in the first direction and the first position being downstream, in the direction of article movement, of the second position; means for transferring the first and second labels from the retaining means to first and second articles, respectively, as the first and second articles are moved through the station; and control means for controlling the transferring means so that the transferring means initiates transfer of the first label to the first article before initiating transfer of the second label to the second article.
Crankshaw et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,484, issued Jul. 1, 1980, discloses a label applicator adapted for use with labels which are provided in a plurality of rows extending longitudinally on a backing strip. The label applicator includes a label dispenser for peeling the labels from the backing strip with the labels moving in a first direction off of the backing strip to provide at least first and second labels at a label dispensing station. A label separator receives the first and second labels and separates them in a direction generally transverse to the first direction to increase the distance between the first and second labels. The separated labels are then transferred to at least one article.
Kucheck et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,255,220, issued Mar. 10, 1981, discloses a label applicator including a label receiver mounted on supporting structure for movement between a retracted position and an extended position. A label dispenser supplies a label to the label receiver when the label receiver is in the retracted position. The label is releasably retained on the label receiver. The label receiver is then moved to the extended position where the label is transferred by an air blast from the label receiver to an article.
Karp, U.S. Pat. No. 4,367,118, issued Jan. 4, 1983, discloses a label applicator for seizing a printed, adhesive backed label and for applying the label to a commodity. The applicator includes a pick-up head for vacuum-seizing a portion of the label by its non-adhesive side and for swinging the label to a label transfer station. At the latter station, the pick-up head releases its grip on the label and an applicator head vacuum-seizes another portion of the non-adhesive side of the label and then applies the label to the commodity.
Treiber, U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,921, issued Dec. 31, 1985, discloses a label applicator device that receives a label from a label printer and applies the label to a package by means of a pressure-sensitive adhesive which coats one side of the label. The applicator device includes a label support means which receives a label with the adhesive coated side facing upward. The label support means includes a pair of fingers upon which the label rests. A label transfer nozzle is pivoted about a horizontal axis beneath the label support means into a first position in which it is received between the pair of fingers and engages the printed side of the label by means of a partial vacuum supplied through a vacuum port in the transfer nozzle. The transfer nozzle is then pivoted into a second position in which the adhesive coated side of the label is facing generally downward. The applicator device includes an applicator head which moves downward, removing the label from the transfer nozzle and pressing it into contact with the surface of a package.
Lindstrom, U.S. Pat. No. 4,595,447, issued Jun. 17, 1986, discloses an article labeling machine including a bell-shaped vacuum foot that subtends from a vertically extending tube to receive a printed label in a first orientation from the label dispenser which is located to one side of and at a higher elevation than a conveyor which is transporting articles to be labeled. The label carrying vacuum foot is moved laterally away from the dispenser through a downwardly smoothly curving diagonal path devoid of any abrupt directional changes. If required, the tube is simultaneously operated to rotate the label into a preselected second orientation as it is being lowered upon the article to be labeled.
Trouteaud et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,953, issued Nov. 29, 1988, and Trouteaud et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,614, issued Jan. 23, 1990, disclose label transfer apparatuses including a label transfer arm having a central axis and comprising a socket body with a transfer nozzle rotatably mounted therein for engaging labels delivered to a label pickup station and for transferring them to a label delivery station. An applicator head strips the labels from the transfer arm and moves them along a fixed path from the label delivery station to a package labeling station to apply the labels to packages. Transfer arm guiding rails are positioned on either side of the label transfer arm for engaging an eccentric collar attached to the transfer nozzle to thereby orient the transfer nozzle into a fixed angular orientation about the central axis of the transfer arm when the transfer arm is at the label delivery station. An operator-controllable selector ring is rotatably mounted to the socket body of the arm and is freely rotatable between selected locations defined by detents. By selecting the angular orientation of the arm at the label pickup station and forcing the arm into a fixed angular orientation at the label delivery station, a label held by the transfer arm is rotated about the central axis of the arm by an angle equal to the difference between the selected angular orientation and the fixed angular orientation.
Crankshaw et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,771, issued Jul. 4, 1989, discloses a label applicator including a support structure in predetermined relationship with a labeling station at which to apply a label to an article. A label dispenser mounted on the support structure dispenses a label to be applied to the article and a receiver movably mounted on the support structure transports the label from the dispenser to the labeling station. Receiver mounting components are provided for mounting the receiver on the support structure both to enable generally linear movement of the receiver along a path between a retracted position adjacent the dispenser and an extended position adjacent the labeling station, and to enable pivotal movement of the receiver about a pivot axis between a label-receiving position in which the label receiver can receive a label from the dispenser and a label-applying position in which the label can be transferred from the label receiver to a face of an article at the labeling station. Label retaining components releasably retain the label on the receiver so that the label can be transported by the receiver to the labeling station for application to the face of the article.
None of the above patents disclose or suggest the present invention. More specifically, none of the above patents disclose or suggest a label applicator for applying a label to an article; the label including a first side having printed matter visible thereon and including a second side having a pressure sensitive adhesive thereon; the label applicator including label support means for supporting the label with the second side of the label resting on the label support means; and label transfer means for picking-up the label from the label support means and pressing the label onto the article.